Thunder
by lyricalemme
Summary: Thunder provides an interesting cataylist.


Wash sat up on the bridge, watching the storm. They were docked again and it had been a rough few days. Waiting for Bester to fix it. The thunder rolled in the distance and then a shot of lightning. And then the power completely shut down, and Wash heard Bester swearing in the engine room. "Shiny..." Getting up and grabbed a flashlight and headed to the galley. There he found a few candles and grabbed one, inspecting it. He grinned and walked back down the dark hallway to Zoë's bunk. Knocking, he waited for a response.

Zoë had been writing when the lights went out. Since they were on land, she didn't worry about it. She lit a candle and closed her notebook, placing it in her desk. She stood and stretched and then sat on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them. Her thoughts drifted to Wash as they often did when she was left with nothing to push them from her mind. She sighed and heard a knock. She stood and pushed the button but it didn't open. She sighed again and climbed part way up to open it. She pushed it open. "Come in."

Wash head poked in. "Hey... big storm out there. Would ya' mind lighting my candle?" He smiled and laid down in the hallway, head hanging over the edge, looking at her.

Zoë rolled her eyes. "What, there are no matches in the galley?"

"Still new here. Lucky I found the candle." There was another large roll of thunder and his head shot up to look up to the bridge. He hated storms.

"Come on down," she sighed. She moved over to the desk and rooted around for her matches.

He took a few steps and slid the rest of the way. This wasn't the first time in her bunk, but it looked very different in the dark. There was another rumble and he jumped. "Um... so. Bester. Killed the power to the ship. The _hun dun_."

She lit the match and held it to the wick, waiting for it to catch. She shook out the match and placed the match book back on the desk. "Yeah, some genius. Proving to be incompetent if you ask me." She sat on the edge of her bed.

Wash nodded and looked around the room, this time the thunder shaking the ship. He jumped, this time evident because of the light in the room. Which went out. "Gorramit... um. Would you mind?"

Even she jumped a little, but he didn't notice. She stood and bumped right into him. "Sorry."

"Can you make it?" He smirked, instinctively grabbing her when they bumped.

His touch sent shivers down her spine. This was not good. She pushed him away gently. "I'm fine. Just couldn't see you is all." She moved past him and walked to her desk. Her candle had burned down low and wasn't giving much light. She groped for the match and found them. She turned around and lit the match to find him.

He held out his candle, ship shaking again. He bumped into her, match going out. "Gah! Sorry..."

She lit another match and held it to his candle. She sighed and leaned against her desk. She didn't trust the ship not to bump her into him again and she didn't know what would happen if it did.

He smiled and walked around the room. "Did you rearrange things since the last time I was here?" He turned back and smirked at her, the light from the candle making the blue of his eyes dance. Though they weren't really blue, more a grey color to match the weather outside.

She glared at him in the darkness. "No." She remembered that visit well enough. He had come down to say hi. She had rolled her eyes then, too. He had even managed to steal a kiss before she kicked him out. That was when she knew what has bothering her, other than that gorram lip ferret, which was thankfully gone now. She had fallen for him and his goofy charm. But that couldn't happen.

"Oh..." He waited till she looked away and blew the candle out. "It's out again..." He sighed and looked to the dim light in the hallway, leaking in from the hallway emergency lights. Maybe he should just go.

Zoë was lost in her thoughts. She saw his candle had gone out and picked up the matches once more. She lit it and looked up into his face. Without her boots on her had a good two inches on her.

"Well. Um... thanks. Good night." He thought it best if he left. Sitting on the bridge and watching this storm play out, or maybe go and hide in his bunk till it passed.

Zoë's eyes saddened softly in the candle light. She didn't care any more. She reached her hand out and cupped his face before taking her other hand and guiding the hand with the candle to the side as she stepped forward and kissed him.

Another huge rumble of thunder sounded, but he didn't even falter. He dropped the candle, the light going out again. Hands free now, he cautiously placed them on her hips, leaning into the kiss more.

Her body tingled as he touched her and she leaned in closer, wrapping her arms around him. Her fingers gripped his neck, holding him to her lips.

He pulled back from her a little, just as the lights shot back on. He stared into her eyes and smiled. "Now we're even I'd say..."

She smiled up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well. I kissed you. Now you kissed me." He pulled back and looked to the ladder. "Should get back to the bridge and reboot things."

She knew he needed to do that or Mal would be pissed. She nodded and looked down and then around the room.

"So. Gonna go now." He backed up and into the ladder, laughing. "Yeah um. Don't let the thunder get to ya'." It rumbled again and he jumped.

She looked at him as he went to leave and bit her lip to keep from laughing as the thunder rumbled once more. Zoë walked over to him against the ladder and trapped him there for a moment, smirk on her face. "Looks like someone could use a protector from the big, bad thunder," she murmured against his lips before kissing him again.

He kissed her again, hand running behind her head. "Mmm! No!" He pulled back again and blinked. "I'll be fine. Big strong man." He nodded, but made no attempt to go up the ladder and out.

She moved closer again. "Then maybe I could use one." She kissed him, smiling against his lips, knowing she was toying with him.

He laughed and shook his head. "Warrior woman like you?" Truth was, Wash was toyed with a lot growing up. This was nothing new to him. Used and then sent on his merry. He refused for it to be the same with Zoë. "I really gotta go."

Zoë pulled back, stepping backwards into her room. "Fine." She turned and went to blow out what was left of her candle. She stood, with her hands braced on her desk chair. Not turning around. What the hell was happening to her.

Wash sighed and went up the ladder, just as the power turned off again. He slipped on the rung and fell. He landed with a thud in the dark and moaned. He was gonna ring Bester's neck when he found him.

She heard him fall as the lights went out and turned around. She could see him on the ground from the emergency lights from the hall above. She was at his side in little more than a heartbeat. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I landed on my _pigu_. Softest part on me." He smirked and reached up, taking the ladder in his hand. God that hurt. He winced a bit as he stood. Nothing broken, just a bruised ass later.

She stood next to him. "You sure you're ok?" A moment ago, she had been mad at him. Why was it so hard to stay that way?

"Just won't want to sit down for a few minutes." He smirked and looked around the dark room again. "Guess that was just a tea-" The thunder was right over them now and he stopped talking, listening.

She looked up as it rumbled again, startling her. She moved instinctively closer to Wash.

His arm snaked around her, holding her close. "Hate storms..." he whispered.

"Not the biggest fan of them myself." She wrapped her arms tightly around his middle and lay her head on his strong shoulder.

"Seems like my evening just cleared up though." Now he could stay, but he didn't know where that would get him. "Why do you hate storms?"

"I don't hate rain storms. Just thunder storms." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Bad memories."

"Ever flown in one?" She shook her head against his chest. "That's some bad memories..." He sighed and got off the ladder, walking her with him. He took a seat on her bed, hissing a little. "Remind me not to fall anymore. Hurts."

She kissed his cheek. She kept her arm around his waist. She didn't know what to say but it was good to be there with him.

He smiled when she kissed him and leaned over kissing her own cheek. "Maybe. Just stay down here till this passes over. Keep each other company.."

She pulled back to sit against her pillows. She curled her legs under her and sighed a little. "Sounds like plan." She smiled at him, unsure if he could see it in the semi-darkness

He leaned forward, arms resting on his knees, listening to the storm. It was still right over them.

Zoë was soon lost in thought, remembering that night. It wasn't one that she wanted to remember. She pulled her legs out from under her and pulled them up to her chest again. Thunder rumbled loudly and she jumped back into reality.

"So. You wanna tell your story, or we just gonna sit here till this is over?" He looked back at her.

She looked up at him. "The night my mother was killed was like this." She rested her chin on her knees. "The Alliance came to town, heard that we were supporters of Independents. Not many people made it out of that town alive. After they took my from me, I joined the army. Had no other family, so the army became my family." She closed her eyes, trying to hide the tears. "Always have nightmares during storms."

He moved closer to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. "Didn't mean to make you cry." Now he just felt bad. "I had to fly during a storm like this. Ship went down like a lead balloon. Nothin' I could do about it. Crashed. Stormed for days and we were trapped outside."

She leaned against him. She had never told anyone that before. Not even Mal. She felt bad. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" He rested his head on hers and sighed. "Nothing to be sorry for."

She didn't know what to say. She snuggled closer to him, feeling safe. "Didn't mean to cry."

"Everyone should cry now and then. Good for you." He smiled and closed his eyes. Her bed was comfy. Much better then his.

She wrapped her arms around him tighter. "Thank you," she whispered.

He'd almost drifted off. "Hmm? I didn't do anything." He slid down onto the bed more, nestling his head against her more. The thunder sounded, but he didn't flinch.

She curled up against him. Zoë smiled. "You've done plenty." She lifted her head and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth. "So thank you."

He leaned up, kissing her back. His hand snaked around her head, pulling her closer. He should really be thanking her. The lights came back on, but he didn't notice.

She shifted closer, bring her body closer to his. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and tasted him, moaning softly.

The moan snapped him back and his eyes shot open. "I gotta go." He slid off the bed and headed to the ladder. What were they doing?

She sat up and watched him go, confused. She didn't understand how things could change so quickly. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.

He leaned on the ladder and looked back at her. He swallowed and looked back to the opening. "Zoë... I..." He didn't move, listening to the thunder passing over finally.

She moved closer, but not as close as she had been before. Her face was softened from her usual mask of the warrior woman. Zoë the vulnerable woman stood before him. "What, Wash?" she asked quietly. She wanted to know what was holding him back.

"Love you." He leaned in and kissed her quickly, heading up to the bridge.

Her eyes were wide and then he was gone. She leaned on the ladder. She had to process what he had just said. After a few minutes, she headed up the ladder. She looked to the bridge and walked slowly and quietly up the steps, leaning against the door, watching him.

Wash picked at little things, turning switches and listening to the engine hum on. Seemed Bester finally did something right. He leaned back in the chair and watched the lightning in the distance, seeing the sky clear for the sunset. Why did he tell her that?

She knocked on the doorway, not wanting to be intruding.

He turned around and stared at her, eyes wide. "Hi."

"Hi." She moved into the room and she leaned against the console near him. She was quiet, unsure of what to say.

"Everything's working again. So as soon as Mal gives the word, we should be airborne again." He smiled quickly and looked back out the window.

She watched the sun going down as the storm fully cleared and turned back to watch him. The colors of the light flickered across his face, his eyes returning to a brilliant blue. She smiled at him.

"About what I said... I didn't mean it. Well!" He looked at her. "I meant it. I just... didn't want it to come out the way it did.." He sighed and looked at his lap. Mal came up behind them, looking over his bridge. "We patched?" Zoë stood as he joined them on the bridge, unable to respond to what Wash had said.

Wash looked back at him. "Yeah. Want off this rock?" Mal raised an eyebrow as if to say, I think I just said that. He turned and left the bridge. She sat back down and sighed softly. She was quiet. She didn't know quite what to say.

Wash went to start take off, getting off the ground. Soon they were breaking atmo and he put Serenity on autopilot.

Zoë smiled at him. "I've never felt this way about anyone, Wash." She looked down at her feet. This was all so new to her. She didn't know what to do.

"Is it a sick, sinking feeling? Cause I tend to do that to girls.."

She laughed softly. "No," she said, looking up from her feet to lock eyes with him. She smiled. "It feels good."

He smiled back. Maybe thunderstorms did have their advantages. "Good... shiny."

She took his hand and pulled him to his feet. Her smile was genuine. She leaned in and kissed him again. It was cautious and tender. She was afraid of ruining this, but she needed to be close to him.

He kissed her back, holding her close. Who'd have thought. He pulled back from the kiss. "Am I wrong to say, that this means ya' might like me too?"

"No, you're not wrong." She wrapped her arms around him. This all felt so right to her.

"Shiny." He smiled and leaned in kissing her again. This was by far the best thunderstorm ever. She smiled against his lips. She couldn't help but laugh into his mouth. She didn't know why.

Wash had never heard her laugh before. "You should do that more often." There was a yell from the other end of the ship for dinner. Wash looked down the hall and then to Zoë

She smiled at him. She kissed him again. "Guess so." She felt happy. Taking her hand the two made their way down to the galley for dinner with the crew. She smiled, lacing her fingers with his. They headed into the galley and Mal and Bester looked up at the two of them curiously.

Wash took his seat and started to fill his plate. He ignored them, trying to act as natural as possible. She sat next to him, unable to keep the smile for her face. She took a piece of bread and passed the basket to Wash. Mal cleared his throat and eyed the two of them. Zoë looked down on her plate and tried to not giggle.

Wash looked up at Mal, eyes wide and then the basket of bread she was passing him. He smiled at her and took a piece, placing the basket down. Mal watched them both, not really eating.

They acted like nothing was wrong. Dinner was interesting. Mal kept an eye on the two of them as they ate. Bester decided to tell some story about some woman he had slept with in the past. Zoë rolled her eyes and her hand drifted to rest on Wash's leg. It just seemed natural for her.

Wash tensed when he felt her hand there, but kept eating. He scoffed at Bester when he went on about the woman he slept with and shook his head. "Nothin' to be bragging about. If you can't remember a number, then maybe ya' need to be sterilized."

Zoë laughed again and Mal's eyes grew wide. He really wanted to know what was going on. She seemed so different to him. She had felt Wash tense as her hand touched him and moved it back to rest on her own leg. Her face betrayed nothing, but she felt bad for making him uncomfortable.

Bester made a face at Wash, who raised an eyebrow. His hand rested on his leg where her hand had been. Reaching over, he took her hand and put it back on his leg, giving it a quick squeeze. He leaned against the table, both his hands in sight and continued to eat.

She smiled a private smile and went back to eating, thumb rubbing his leg gently. This was nice. Dinner was simple, the usual protein fare, with bread, which was nice. It was Bester's turn to clean up. Zoë stood up when she was finished and placed her plate in the sink. She gave Wash a look and headed down to her bunk.

He nodded to the men and walked along after her, hands in his pockets. They got to her bunk and he followed her down, closing the door behind him. Mal was extremely confused by what had happened during dinner. He made a note to talk to Zoë about it later. Right now, he was focusing on making sure Bester didn't break anything else.

Down in her bunk, Zoë sat on her bed and looked up at Wash as he came down. She smiled warmly at him. She was glad that he had come. "So then." He walked over to be in front of her and got on his knees. He looked up at her and finally rested his head on her lap, closing his eyes. His arms hugged her legs and he was relaxed.

She smiled at him, running her fingers through his hair. She bent down to kiss his head. "So."

"This is nice." He smiled as her fingers ran through his hair. Felt good.

"It is." She felt so comfortable. She sighed softly.

He sat up and looked her in the eyes. He'd heard her sigh and got up, hands gracing across her face gently. He leaned in, lips brushing against hers.

She hadn't expected him to kiss her just then and her eyes had widened before they closed. Her hands slid around his neck. He leaned against her more, pushing her back against the bed. He moaned into her mouth, leaning over her in a very awkward position. She broke the kiss and pushed herself back on to the bed. She smiled up at him.

He looked at his feet. He'd been to forward. "Sorry..."

She smiled. "Nothing to be sorry for unless you're not kissing me in the next 20 seconds."

Now she was being forward. And that was a turn on. He looked up at her, face serious as he leaned in kissing her roughly. He kicked his shoes off, moving on top of her and pushing her back on the bed again. His kisses were fierce and hungry now.

She wrapped her arms tightly around him as he kissed her again. All hesitancy was gone from their kisses as she moaned into his mouth.

His kisses moved from her mouth to her jaw bone, hands moving up her shirt. Her skin was so smooth and warm. And she was tiny.

She sighed and laced her fingers in his hair once more. His mouth was hot on her skin and she loved it. Her body shifted under his, trying to get closer.

"Zoë," he moaned her name softly. His nose brushed against hers, smiling against her lips.

"Wash." His name came out breathlessly. She captured his mouth once more, taking her time to taste him.

Before he knew what he was doing, her shirt was off her and on the floor. He kissed her newly exposed chest, sucking on the skin. He left little marks in his passing.

Her hands quickly worked the buttons to his shirt. She slipped it from his shoulder and it joined hers. She sucked hungrily on his neck, leaving a mark on his pulse point. She didn't care. He tasted so good and his mouth was sending shock waves through her body.

Wash moaned against her skin, hands working at her pants. What was coming over them? This need, this hunger. Wash felt that if he didn't do this, he would never be truly satisfied. Hands tugged her pants off, losing them to the floor now.

As he worked on her pants, she pushed his off of him. There was nothing between them now and she ran her hands over his body. He was so muscular. Her eyes were dark with desire and need as she bit her lower lip, moaning softly.

He had to stop himself, looking at her beneath him. This was it. If they... there would be no turning back. He looked at her and leaned down kissing her sweetly.

She looked at him and returned his kiss, deepening it. She wound her arms around him, pulling him closer to her. She wanted this.

His head nestled against hers and he closed his eyes as he pressed into her. He moaned, clenching his eyes when the wave of pleasure soared over him. He took a moment to collect himself, before continuing, eyes locking with hers.

She gasped as he finally entered her and looked into those eyes. Her body took over and began to move with his thrusts.

Her gasp took him back, but he knew better then to stop. He moved deeper in, chests brushing against on another. He moaned again, quickening his pace.

She clung to him, bringing herself up to kiss his neck again, body arching against his as he continued. Her kissed turned sloppy as he went faster. Soon, her arms were around him, her face buried in his neck as she moaned and purred and cried out.

His arm wrapped around her back holding her close, until finally he came into her. He gasped, sweat pouring off him. He laid her back down on the bed and lay beside her, breathless.

As he lay next to her, Zoë felt cold. She rolled over and curled into him, wanting to stay close to him. She rest her nose on his. Her eyes smiled at him.

Wash let out a deep sigh and opened his eyes. He looked into hers and motioned for them to turn themselves to get under the sheets. He sat up stiffly, tugging at the blankets for her to get under.

She slipped between the sheets and curled up once more. She was pleasantly exhausted. He slipped in beside her and collapsed, closing his eyes and sighing. Her arms found their way around him again, almost of their own accord. She smiled and settled in next to him.

Wash was panting heavily, eyes closed. He felt her wrap her arms around him and he didn't move to get away. He wanted her to touch him. He wanted to know that this was all real.

She kissed his cheek sweetly. Her breath slowly returned to normal. This was better than her dreams had ever been. And this was real.

Wash opened his eyes again, turning to look at her. He leaned over, kissing her again. "You all right?"

Zoë smiled. "Yes." She kissed him again. "Better than ever." She rested her hand gently on his cheek.

Wash smiled and closed his eyes again. "Gah... I'm wiped.."

"Well, I didn't say I wasn't tired," she laughed across his cheek. "But it's a pleasant exhaustion." She smirked.

"Oh! I didn't mean it wasn't." He looked at her again and smiled. "Just...wow is the only word that comes to mind right now."

She smiled again. "Well, I wouldn't mind feeling this exhausted again. Just hope we don't have to wait for the next thunder storm."

A wicked grin spread across his lips and he laughed. "No. I think we can do this without storms. Or any reason at all for that matter." He rolled on his side, hand running up hers. "If ya' want me that is.."

Her hand played with the fine hairs on his chest. "If I didn't want ya, you wouldn't be lying here." She leaned in and kissed him.

He kissed her back and laid his head on the pillow. "Shiny." He smiled and closed his eyes, snuggling against her, arm moving around her protectively. She curled up against him, feeling safe, and fell asleep, so happy to be in his arms.


End file.
